An injury to a tissue and an organ often induces fibrotic scar tissue formation, impeding the function of the healed tissue or organ.
For example, when nerve tissue (e.g., a peripheral nerve such as the median nerve of the wrist) is damaged, scar tissue often forms in and around the injury site, which not only affects nerve signal transmittance and axonal growth across the injury site, but also develops painful neuroma. Similarly, scar tissue formation caused by an injury to a tendon can result tendon adhesion to the surrounding tissue, which, if the tissue is in the joint region, can lead to immobilization of the joint. In addition, a tendon injury may also induce adhesion between the tendon and an adjacent nerve, resulting in severe pain and loss of productivity.
To minimize scar tissue formation within and around an injury site, a biocompatible, semi-permeable, and cell occlusive protective sheet is needed to wrap around the injury site to prevent invasion of fibrogenic cells.